Everybody who has ever had to make a map in Illustrator knows that it is not the easiest nor the most fun thing to do.
Sure, there were (costly) plug-ins to ease the pain a little, but there seems to be hope!

This coming in the form of Ortelius, a plain, cheap and simple program that should make mape-making a snap.
Haven't tested it yet, but if it works only half the way it promisses, - in my opinion - it's worth it's money.